I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for.

I use a Rem. 870 with rifled barrel and a hunting buddy uses a Win. 1300 with rifled barrel. He has been using his gun for YEARS and has killed lots of deer using cheap Winchester Super-X rifled slugs. I also use the rifled slugs as a cheap alternative to more expensive saboted rounds at times. I have also killed deer with this ammo.

So my buddy stopped at a shop to buy some ammo and requested his usual flavor, Win. Super-X rifled slugs. The guy asked what kind of barrel he used and when my buddy said a rifled barrel, the clerk refused to sell him the rifled slugs. It actually got ugly with the argument that ensued. The clerk claimed that a rifled barrel would be destroyed after only 10 rounds by rifled slugs and ONLY saboted slugs can be used. My buddy has been using this ammo for years in the same gun; we are talking thousands of rounds!!! I notice decreased accuracy with the rifled slugs, but see no evidence of my barrel being destroyed.

So was this clerk full of BS and trying to sell the higher dollar ammo, or is there merit to his position? This is the first we have ever heard of this. We think he is full of cr@p but wanted to get a more educated response!!

Thanks!

The sales clerk should be fired and banned from ever selling ammo or guns. How is a LEAD slug that is undersized to begin with going to harm a STEEL barrel? Think about it

That is EXACTLY what I said!!! We figure the guy was just trying to push the more expensive stuff, but wanted to make sure we didn't miss some fundamental rule of using rifled shotgun barrels. I pretty much knew the answer (like I said, the has had many rounds down that barrel and it looks perfect), just wanted confirmation.

Thanks!

ANY kind of slug can be used in a rifled bore. However, it is POSSIBLE that the Foster type and the old style Brennekes might cause leading. This happens in some barrels, but not all of them....

I believe there's something weird about a sales clerk in a store who won't sell you what you want! Even if the slugs would ruin the bore in 10 rounds (B.S.)!! it's YOUR BORE!! "Let me speak to your supervisor, please!" You might get leading. But I've never experienced leading in a shotgun bore that I could not clean out with Shooter's Choice or one of the other good bore solvents.

Can you use one of the old style slugs in a rifled barrel, yes. BUT, shotgun slugs are made of very soft lead and as a result they will probably lead up your gun very quickly resulting in decreasing accuracy. I have seen this happen, fella was a cheapskate and would not pay for good quality 12 to 15 buck a box sabots and would only buy 3 buck a box slugs. At first, they shot great. But over time the accuracy decreased. Then he decided that it was time to shoot good quality sabots. Problem was that he never got the lead out and his accuracy still was bad. Sold the gun to a friend of mine shortly after and after some good scrubbing and brushing, now is a solid 2 inch shooter at 100 yards w/ sabots.
Every gun is different, but in general sabots are for rifling, fosters are for smooth.

Hank

I believe the clerk was in the wrong for not selling him the slugs, and I seriously think he was full of crap by saying that it will destroy the barrel after 10 shots.

On the other hand, I will NEVER hunt with rifled slugs out of my Winchester 1300 with a rifled barrel, not because it will tear my barrel up, because it will not allow me the accuracy I require of my hunting set ups. What I suggest you do is to get a good bench set up and buy a couple boxes of different rifled slugs and a couple of boxes if sabots and shoot them off a good bench and see what kind of accuracy you get with them. But please don'tjust shoot 2slugs and stop, what I've found is that rifled slugs in a rifled barrel just simply won't repeat groups and they aren't as consistant as sabots. If you're happy with the performance of the rifled slugs, then I guess go with them. But I'd almost betcha the sabots groups will be much more impressive and consistant than the rifled ones.

I understand that damn-near $20 bucks for a box of 5 slugs isout of hand and rediculous(which is why I hunt with an Encore 209X50 but that's beside the point). Something to consider, I've got 2 buddies that threw their rifled barrels back in the cabinet and grabbed the ole vent ribbed barrels and went back to rifled slugs because of the price of sabots. Put a improved cylinder choke in the thing and you're good to go out to 100 yards every day! Something you may want to think about.

I hope I've helped! Good luck!

Sure it will ruin your barrel if you are retarded and never clean your barrel. They do lead the barrel up after a few shots, but it is nothing that can't be cleaned. Makes a mess though.

My H&R ultra shoots some rifled slugs better than it does some 15 dollar a box of high end sabot slugs. Until the barrel fouls out, which is about 4 or 5 shots. With good winchester rifled slugs I can get three shots touching at 100 yards for maybe a total of a 3 inch group. The 4th shot usually starts to drift but not bad enough that it would miss the vitals of a deer. I have never had to shoot more than once at a deer, so this doesn't bother me too much.

Where as I have tried some expensive sabots that would not stay on a 8x11 sheet of paper at 100 yards from shot to shot. Mine shoots really well with winchester platinum tips though.

Will a rifled slug work, heck ya it will if you don't mind scrubbing the heck out of your barrel when you are done shooting. But in my opinion the modern sabot loads perform better on game and are usually more accurate if you find a good one.

For those sabot only people keep in mind your barrel will also foul with plastic as well, so you still need to clean it well with a good solvent made for removing plastic fouling. It is not as extreme as lead fouling, but it happens. you should ALWAYS clean your shotgun after shooting it.

My opinions anyway.

Paul

I've been shooting Remington Sluggers and Winchester Foster style slug out of my rifled barrels for years. A Mossberg 500 and Rem. 1187. Yes you can shoot rifled slug out of them but, they lead up really bad. You have to clean them. I've just this year started using Lightfield Hybreds. I have more money to spend on my ammo now days. If I owned that store that clerk would have been out on his a$$ refusing to sell a customer something

I will only use Sabots in my rifled barrel but thats a personal prefrence.

So what type of slugs should be used ina smooth barrel with an improved cylinder choke? Just curious, that's what my Mossberg 500 has....


chris